To correct Lincoln somewhat, he should have said, \x34. . . that government of the people, by the politicians, and for the politicians shall not perish from the earth.

Government's view of the economy: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. — Ronald Reagan

In the United States, the majority undertakes to supply a multitude of ready-made opinions for the use of individuals, who are thus relieved from the necessity of forming opinions of their own. -- Alexis de Toqueville

The first three months or so of a president’s term is ordinarily the time to set the agenda. Barack Obama was inaugurated on January 21, 2013. As of early May, we’ve had about 100 days of his second term in office, and he’s managed to demonstrate he’s a lame duck. No one takes him seriously anymore. Even the Democrats don’t respond to his “leadership”, mainly because there isn’t much leadership displayed, and whatever leadership he’s shown has been weak and ineffective. I’m not the only one writing about his. Here’s a link to Yahoo -- President's first 100 days. What has he accomplished?Let’s consider his possible positives:Gay Rights -- You might consider the advances in gay rights as influenced by the president. Rhode Island became the 10th state to recognize gay marriage. His justice department argued in the Supreme Court cases for the federal government’s Defense of Marriage Act. California’s Prop 8 also came under review.Immigration? – This could be a positive, or a big negative. Republicans want effective border control. They may give away the store and fail to see the border controlled. The Democrat version of immigration reform contains the usual nullifiers and exemptions that could result in total amnesty for existing illegals while luring many more from Mexico. It could be a huge disaster for the country. Now for the negatives:Budget – Obama again submitted a budget to the Senate, and again it drew zero votes. The Senate Democrats wouldn’t touch it. There were no real cuts in the debt or deficit, and he wanted to spend even more than last year. A very minor tweak to Social Security alarmed and angered the Left. Gun control -- Many Democrats unexpectedly voted with Republicans to defeat background checks in the Senate. He can blame his own party.Syria – Obama is out on a limb, because he drew a line in the sand against Syria’s possible use of poison gas. They crossed it, and now he’s wavering about what to do, and seems to be doing nothing. An effective president would have thought about the consequences of his stern warning.Sequester -- Perhaps nothing illustrates Obama’s petty nature more than his handling of the sequester. Remember, the sequester doesn’t really cut any money out of the budget, it merely reduces the increase from last year. Early this year, House Republicans passed a bill giving the President flexibility to manage each federal department’s money so as to keep essential functions going. Democrats stopped the bill. Later on, Obama cut out White House public tours to “save money” even as he flew all over the world and the U.S. in Air Force One. One less trip would have easily covered the tours. Then, the flight controllers were furloughed to save money, and airline passenger service was badly disrupted. Because of widespread protest, Congress quickly threw a bill together to allow the FAA to reallocate money and allow the controllers to go back to work, and the President signed it. Now, many Air Force squadrons have suspended flying, claiming they don’t have the money. This will hurt pilot training and readiness.Many have accused the President of deliberately causing as much pain as possible, then blaming Republicans for the sequester. This criticism seems totally accurate.Obamacare -- A total fiasco. Baucus -- "A train wreck"Health insurance costs are going through the roof. Big tax increases are coming. “The most complicated legislation ever passed.”Economy – Not better. Still way too much unemployment. War on Terror -- Obama’s administration will barely admit the Boston Marathon bombing was terrorism. He refuses to blame Islamic Jihadists, even though the bombers were clearly that. We’ve all known brilliant people who are totally ineffective in life, who do stupid things in an arrogant fashion, believing they are smarter than everyone else. I think Obama is in that category. We know he never accepts blame for anything that goes wrong. We know he never listens to Republican suggestions, never really works with them. We know he sets general goals, never provides detail. We know he’s obsessive about “raising taxes on the rich” and shows no concern about the deficit or the debt. I have the feeling that no one respects Obama now. We know his stands on issues, and he never seems to change. I think he has reached the lame duck stage three years early. I do fear what he might yet do, because I believe he’s irrational, arrogant, and smart. A dangerous combination.